Pathology of Coronavirus Infections: A Review of Lesions in Animals in the One-Health Perspective

Abstract

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are worldwide distributed RNA-viruses affecting several species, including humans, and causing a broad spectrum of diseases. Historically, they have not been considered a severe threat to public health until two outbreaks of COVs-related atypical human pneumonia derived from animal hosts appeared in 2002 and in 2012. The concern related to CoVs infection dramatically rose after the COVID-19 global outbreak, for which a spill-over from wild animals is also most likely. In light of this CoV zoonotic risk, and their ability to adapt to new species and dramatically spread, it appears pivotal to understand the pathophysiology and mechanisms of tissue injury of known CoVs within the “One-Health” concept. This review specifically describes all CoVs diseases in animals, schematically representing the tissue damage and summarizing the major lesions in an attempt to compare and put them in relation, also with human infections. Some information on pathogenesis and genetic diversity is also included. Investigating the lesions and distribution of CoVs can be crucial to understand and monitor the evolution of these viruses as well as of other pathogens and to further deepen the pathogenesis and transmission of this disease to help public health preventive measures and therapies.

Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 infections in cattle without typical manifestations of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever and concomitantly infected with bovine coronavirus

“…In this case, the viral load was not evaluated, but all animals were concomitantly infected by BCoV, and demonstrated pathologic findings that can be attributed to this viral disease pathogen [ 47 , 48 ]. Accordingly, concomitant pulmonary and enteric infections due to BCoV could have predisposed these animals to infection [ 48 , 49 ], resulting in asymptomatic or subclinical SA-MCF. Therefore, it seems that under specific conditions, cattle may be asymptomatic or be subclinically infected with OvHV-2, with the possibility of having gross and/or histopathologic lesions characteristic of SA-MCF, but without typical clinical manifestations of this disease; similar asymptomatic manifestations with histopathologic demonstration of disease were described in calves experimentally infected with BoHV-5 [ 50 ].…”

A Review of the Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) from Cow, Sheep and Goat Models

“…Moreover, analyzing the responses of neutrophils of different species and NETs formation is relevant in light of zoonotic disease and the use of animal models for health [ 104 , 105 , 106 ]. Neutrophils are associated with lesions in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract of cows, sheep, and goats infected by coronaviruses and diverse pathogens [ 107 ]. Understanding NETosis in these species may help understand the pathophysiology and adaptability of animal and zoonotic pathogens while contributing to animal and public health through new targets for control [ 107 ].…”

“…Neutrophils are associated with lesions in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract of cows, sheep, and goats infected by coronaviruses and diverse pathogens [ 107 ]. Understanding NETosis in these species may help understand the pathophysiology and adaptability of animal and zoonotic pathogens while contributing to animal and public health through new targets for control [ 107 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2, a Threat to Marine Mammals? A Study from Italian Seawaters

“…These aquatic species, in fact, were recently added to a long list of animal species susceptible to natural and/or experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection [17,18]. In detail, eexperimental infections and binding-affinity assays between the "receptor binding domain" (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and its receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2), demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 has a wide host range because of the high similarity of this protein among difference species [19,20]. Among those animal species showing a higher similarity with the human ACE-2 RBDs [18,21,22], marine mammals seem to have a higher binding efficiency [18] and, for these reasons, infection can be caused by a low viral concentration, such as those likely present in wastewater [23].…”